# Phantom Countdown vs MasterDex

The clearest difference is ads: Phantom Countdown at none against MasterDex's shown. MasterDex's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months) and rating (4.8 vs 4.6). On price, review sentiment, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Phantom Countdown sells 5 one-off in-app purchases and MasterDex sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

MasterDex holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MasterDex has 1.7K ratings behind it against 276, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 83% of Phantom Countdown's written reviews are positive against 87% of MasterDex's.

Phantom Countdown ships an update every 2 months, MasterDex every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Phantom Countdown | MasterDex |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (276 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/phantom-countdown/id1549294840/reviews) | **[4.8 (1.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/masterdex-complete-guide/id1621464261/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 276 | **1.7K** |
| Positive reviews | 82.8% of reviews | **86.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 55 MB | 196 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **16.6** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Matthew Sinex](https://appshunter.io/developer/1549294842) | [Lorenzo Greco](https://appshunter.io/developer/480768196) |

## What reviewers say

### Phantom Countdown

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/phantom-countdown/id1549294840)

This free utility app helps fans of a popular JRPG series track upcoming events. Create and customize multiple countdowns, display them on your home screen with widgets, and choose from built-in or custom themes. Countdowns update daily, offering flexible tracking by date, number of days, or unknown dates.

**Highlights:** Multiple countdown creation, Home screen widgets, Customizable themes, Automatic daily updates, Flexible date tracking

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Level 1 Tip | $0.99 | one-time |
| Level 5 Tip | $2.99 | one-time |
| Level 25 Tip | $9.99 | one-time |
| Level 50 Tip | $24.99 | one-time |
| Level 99 Tip | $49.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Persona-themed countdown
- 👍 Customizable themes and colors
- 🎨 Stylish and visually appealing
- 📆 Helpful for tracking deadlines and events
- 🎮 Captures the Persona aesthetic

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs with widget functionality
- 🔧 Issues with changing themes and colors
- 🔒 Lack of transparency in background
- 📊 Limited customization options

**Reported bugs**

- Countdowns disappearing or not saving
- Widgets not displaying properly
- App freezing when changing notification settings
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions

**Requested features**

- Add countdown to lock screen
- Integrate with calendar app
- Ability to set custom countdown sounds
- Automatic countdown rotation
- More detailed Persona-themed design


### MasterDex

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/masterdex-complete-guide/id1621464261)

This app serves as a comprehensive guide for fans and trainers, offering detailed information on creatures, team building, and the trading card game. It features offline access, advanced search, and tracking for favorite creatures and shinies, updated for the latest generation.

**Highlights:** Updated creature information, Team builder tool, Trading Card Game details, Offline functionality, Shiny creature tracker, Advanced search filters

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Masteredex - Sale | $1.99 | one-time |
| Masterdex PRO | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fantastic app
- 👍 Great Pokédex
- 🔒 No ads
- 💡 One-time purchase
- 👍 Aesthetically pleasing

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashing and slow loading
- 🐛 Bugs with team builder
- 🐛 Missing Pokémon forms and gender differences
- 🐛 Incorrect or outdated information
- 💡 Lack of Pokémon location filters

**Reported bugs**

- Shiny toggle not working in team builder
- Pokémon 3D models and artwork not displaying
- Johto region locations missing
- Crashes when adding Pokémon to teams
- Incorrect information for some Pokémon (e.g., Necrozma's ability, Pikachu's classification)

**Requested features**

- Add Pokémon location filters
- Implement ability to mark Pokémon as caught/seen
- Add damage calculator
- Allow reorganizing of teams
- Include Pokémon cries and Dynamax/Gigantamax forms


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Phantom Countdown free?

Phantom Countdown is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is MasterDex free?

MasterDex is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Phantom Countdown or MasterDex?

MasterDex is rated higher. Phantom Countdown averages 4.6 out of 5 from 276 ratings, while MasterDex averages 4.8 from 1.7K ratings.

### Do Phantom Countdown or MasterDex have ads?

MasterDex shows ads; Phantom Countdown does not.

### Which is updated more often, Phantom Countdown or MasterDex?

Phantom Countdown ships an update every 2 months, and MasterDex every 3 weeks. Most recently, Phantom Countdown was updated on October 14, 2026 and MasterDex on October 17, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*